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The Longest ARRL Affiliated Club
in Michigan
February 2018 Volume 66 Issue 2
This has been a good month for MCRC generally. Unfortunately,
Ray N8TYA became a silent key. Our prayers go out to his XYL
Paula N8ZLM.
The membership heard from Kimball N8FNC at the January
meeting. The club’s classes are well received at Bacon Library in
Wyandotte and we are exploring the possibility of setting up a
club station at the library. We are also looking at the Downriver
Council for the Arts location on Chestnut in Wyandotte about
availability there. Thank you to all who attended our January
meeting and took part in our discussion about the club and its
future.
The club is grateful that Bruce, AC8KD has agreed to be Co-chair
for Field Day this year. Now we are looking for someone to share
that responsibility with him. It is my hope to find our Field Day
location within the next few weeks.
Our Board membership is again up to full strength as the
appointed members have now all agreed to continue for another
year and been confirmed by the whole board.
Our Vice President, Rick, KE8BPZ was able to rejoin us at our board
meeting after his recent knee replacement. While he isn’t yet fully
recovered, he was able to make our board meeting. It was
announced there that Jim, KD8HFX will do a presentation on
Raspberry Pi at the February meeting. There was some discussion
that the presentation should also include blueberry pie; we will
have to wait to see how that turns out.
73, Don, K8THU
Don’s Ditherings Don K8THU
MCRC President
Silent Key
Ray
N8TYA
Ray Lewis Arnold Jr. November 1, 1947 - January 17, 2018
Ray Lewis “Buddy” Arnold Jr., Age 70, of
Wyandotte, Mi, has passed.
He was born in Wyandotte.
Beloved husband of Paula Fay, they were
married, March 25th 1967 in Detroit. He is
also survived by three Aunts: Joan Cervery
of Baltimore, Md., Ida May Frausto of Mt.
Vernon, Tx. and Carl Anna Lieb of Ft.
Myers, Fl.
A U.S. Army veteran of Viet Nam. He was a
member of the Civil Air Patrol for 35 Years.
A VFW member of the Lincoln Park Post
552 and Wyandotte Post 1136.
Ray was a active member of the Motor City
Radio Club. Paula and Ray attended every
function and event. His participation will
truly be missed.
73 to Ray.
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Family Membership $35.00
Full Membership $25.00
Senior (60+) $20.00
Student $10.00
See Dale WA8FRD to pay your dues.
2018 Fox Hunts
start in May
Perhaps you have heard club members talking about Fox Hunts. It's
all about Amateur Radio operators doing a radio direction finding
exercise. Special antennas are used to tell what direction a radio
signal is coming from. The antennas, plus the other equipment in
their vehicles, are used to track down the source of the radio signal.
It's all part of a contest called a hidden transmitter hunt or simply a
"foxhunt."
Somewhere out there is another Amateur Radio operator with a
transmitting setup. The "fox" might be in a car, our out in the open
in a park, or on a hill, or just about anywhere in a discreet, incognito
location. Every one of the teams are trying to find the fox by figuring
out where their radio signal is coming from. The winner is the team
that finds the fox with least mileage.
It’s a lot of great fun, and is a challenging contest. Transmitter
hunting also has lots of practical uses. Amateur radio operators have
been called on to use direction finding equipment to locate downed
airplanes, boaters in distress, and sources of radio interference. It
can also be used to find illegal and unlicensed radio transmitters.
Hams use contests like fox hunting to test their equipment and
practice their skills in preparation for more serious searches.
Motor City Radio Club's first fox hunt is in May, and run once a
month until October. Once you do it, you will be hooked.
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Wyandotte Amateur Radio Repeater Association
1885 Pinetree Dr
Trenton, MI 48183
Name________________________________________________ Call__________
Address_______________________________________
_______________________________________
E-mail _______________________________________
Donation amount_____________
The MCRC has a library of valuable knowledge that is available for loan to all members. The library
includes both books and audio tapes on various ham related subjects. Members are encouraged to take
advantage of this valuable member benefit.
Below is a list of the resources currently in the library:
The ARRL- Operating Manual For Radio Amateurs
The ARRL- RFI Book 2nd Edition...Practical Cures for Radio Frequency Interference
The ARRL- Ham Radio Liscense Manual 1st Edition Level #1Technician
The ARRL- Handbook 2008...For Radio Communications.
The comprehensive RF Engineering Reference 85th
Edition
Simple, low cost Wire Antennas for Radio Amateurs
The ARRL- Handbook 2001 78th Edition
The ARRL- Spread Spectrum Source Book
ARRL DVD Amateur Radio Today
ARVN DVD Digital Voice for Amateur Radio HF: AOR, WinDRM, DRMDV, FDMDV 25 Minutes VHF/UHF:
D-Star P-25 35 Minutes
Troubleshooting Solid State Circuits
- George Loveday, Arthur H. Seidman
Getting started in Electronics
-Forrest m. Mimms,III
National Electrical Code 2005
-International Electrical Code
Ham Antenna Construction Projects -J.A. Stanley
Beam Antenna Handbook
-5th Edition Orr & Cowan
Amateur Radio Vertical Antenna Handbook
-Capt. Paul H. Lee USN (ret) N6PL
Digital Interfacing with an Analog World 2nd ed
-Joseph J. Carr
Cassette Tapes for General Class Liscense study
- 6 Tapes
Cassette Tapes for Morse Code Practice
- 2 Tapes
CD's for Morse Code Practice - 2 Tapes
Members are encouraged to contact the club librarian, Ray - KD8DPZ, to reserve any of the materials
they wish to borrow. Donations of new materials to the club library is also appreciated.
100% of the operation of the
Wyandotte Repeater is paid
through financial
contributions. You may
support repeater in a couple
of ways. You can give your
donation directly to the club
treasurer using this form, or
mail the donation to the
address on the form. Thank
you so much for your
support.
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Heinrich Hertz Birthday Special Event Station.
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz (22 February 1857 – 1 January 1894) was a German
physicist who first conclusively proved the existence of the electromagnetic
waves theorized by James Clerk Maxwell's electromagnetic theory of light.
The unit of frequency — cycle per second — was named the "hertz" in his
honor.
The Nashoba Amateur Radio Club will have a Special Events Station on the air
to honor his birthday. February 24, 1600Z-2200Z, W4NRC, Germantown,
TN.. 14.255 21.355. QSL to:
Fred Miller, 8265 Green Holly Cove, Germantown, TN 38138.
Ham radio links Cyprus students to ISS
On Wednesday, January 24, 2018,
thanks to an amateur radio telebridge
link students of The English School in Nicosia, Cyprus were able to talk live
to an astronaut in space
It is the first time pupils from a school in Cyprus have been able to
communicate live with an astronaut on the International Space Station.
The telebridge link to astronaut Mark
Vande Hei KG5GNP was provided by the Santa Rosa Jr. College Amateur
Radio Club W6SRJ ARISS ground station in the United States.
The ISS ham radio. Kenwood
D700 2M/440 dual band
transceiver in the Russian
Service Module.
Astronaut Mark
Vande Hei KG5GGNP
Expedition 25 commander Doug Wheelock KF5BOC
making a contact on the International Space Station's
ham radio. The VHF handheld radio model that has
been used by the ARISS program to connect students
worldwide with astronauts on board the International
Space Station (ISS) for over 16 years has given an error
message and is unusable at this time. While the ARISS
technical team evaluates the best path to restore
operation from the Columbus module, ARISS contacts
will be supported using the Kenwood radio in the
Russian Service Module.
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Our VE team was very busy on January 13th when ten applicants showed up to take their exams. All
ten were successful in either obtaining their new license or an upgrade.
Lawrence Stec, KE8IJI and Christopher Schwimer, call pending, both upgraded from Tech to General.
Jonathan Pickard passed both his Tech and General exams. Paul Korbal, Michael Harm, Thomas
Valerio, Charles Wilder, Gary Trudeau, Paul Boike and William Latarski all earned their Technician
license.
Many thanks to Don Novak K8THU, Bill Loeber NU3D, Ralph Nagy KA8KGW and Dean McKinney
KE8HVA for their help in making this happen.
Dean McKinney had just received his General class upgrade at our November exam session and was
inspired to obtain his VE Credentials. He asked if he could sit in and observe this session to see what
the other side looked like. Well, he more than observed, I put him to work! He did a great job and I
told him he was welcome to help out anytime. Hopefully he will become our newest MCRC member
soon!
Our next exam session will be held on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at the First United Methodist
Church, 72 Oak St., Wyandotte, MI. 48192
Items to bring with you:
1. $15.00 exam fee (Exact Amount Preferred)
2. Number 2 Pencil
3. An original of your current FCC license (if you have one)
4. A copy of your current FCC license (if you have one)
5. Two pieces of Identification (at least one photo)
6. Your PayPal Receipt if you choose to pay online
7. Your FRN number if you choose to pre-register
Although not mandatory, we strongly recommend you pre-register for your FRN number
at: http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls to avoid using your Social Security number on the NCVEC QUICK-
FORM 605.
Those interested can register for the exam ahead of time on the Motor City Radio Club's website.
Go to w8mrm.net. Click on the Event tab on the left, then click on the exam announcement. On
that page, you can register for the exam and also pay beforehand using Paypal.
Woody N8MWQ
V.E. Liaison
MOTOR CITY RADIO CLUB VE EXAMS
2018 November
Dinner
CW Sportsmen's Grill
(formally the Sportsmen Den)
15001 Sibley Road, Riverview, MI 48193
November 10th, 2018
6pm to 8:30pm
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UPCOMING HAMFESTS
Livonia Hamfest Sunday, February 18, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Civic Park Senior Center 15218 Farmington Road Livonia, Michigan (on the SE corner of Farmington Road and 5 Mile Road)
Toledo Hamfest
Sunday, March 18th, 2018 from 8:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Owens Community College - Student Health and Activity Center (SHAC)
30335 Oregon Road, Perrysburg, OH 43551
Motor City Radio Club General Membership meetings are held at
the Copeland Center at 2306 4th Street in Wyandotte at 7pm.
Meetings are the second Friday of each month, except there is no
meetings in August and November. August is the Club Picnic, and in
November, there is the 2018 Annual Banquet.
It's Metro Grand Spring Tour Time May 6th
Once again the Motor City Radio Club has been asked by the Downriver Cycling Club to provide communications for the 35th Annual Metro Grand Spring Tour (MGST). MGST is one of Michigan's oldest, continually recurring rides and is generally acknowledged to be the start of the ride season in SE Michigan We need as many operators as possible, hopefully 20 or more, to cover all the routes. More details will be coming as plans are finalized. Please contact Dale WA8FRD for more information.
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Skywarn
Training
March 9th.
At the Motor City Radio Club March General Membership meeting, Skywarn Training will be provided by the National Weather Service Forecast Office for the
Detroit/Pontiac area. SKYWARN® is a National Weather Service (NWS) program developed in the 1960s that consists of trained weather spotters who provide reports of severe and hazardous weather to help meteorologists make life-saving warning decisions. Spotters are concerned citizens, amateur radio operators, truck drivers, mariners, airplane pilots, emergency management personnel, and public safety officials who volunteer their time and energy to report on hazardous weather impacting their community.
Although, NWS has access to data from Doppler radar, satellite, and surface weather stations, technology cannot detect every instance of hazardous weather. Spotters help fill in the gaps by reporting hail, wind damage, flooding, heavy snow, tornadoes and waterspouts. Radar is an excellent tool, but it is just that: one tool among many that NWS uses. We need spotters to report how storms and other hydro meteorological phenomena are impacting their area.
SKYWARN® spotter reports provide vital “ground truth” to the NWS. They act as our eyes and ears in the field. Spotter reports help our meteorologists issue timely, accurate, and detailed warnings by confirming hazardous weather detected by NWS radar. Spotters also provide critical verification information that helps improve future warning services. SKYWARN® Spotters serve their local communities by acting as a vital source of information when dangerous storms approach. Without spotters, NWS would be less able to fulfill its mission of protecting life and property. NWS encourages anyone with an interest in public service and access to communication, such HAM radio, to join the SKYWARN® program. The March 9th monthly meeting of the Motor City Radio Club will be at the Copeland Center at 2306 4th. Street in Wyandotte, starting at 7pm. If you are unable to make this training session, two other ham clubs in Wayne County are also hosting SKYWARN training in March:
Saturday, March 10th from 10:00am to Noon
Garden City Presbyterian Church 1841 Middlebelt Road in Garden City 48135.
Park on sounth side of building, session in basement.
Location website: http://www.gardencitypresbyterian.org/
Sponsored by the Garden City Amateur Radio Club and Wayne County ARPSC.
Club website : https://www.gcarc.net/
Wednesday, March 28th from 6:00pm to 9:00pm at the Livonia Civic Center Library Auditorium.
32777 Five Mile Road in Livonia 48150.
Park in rear of building, session in Auditorium.
Location website: http://livoniapubliclibrary.org/civiccenter
Sponsored by the Livonia Amateur Radio Club and Wayne County ARPSC.
Club website: http://www.livoniaarc.com/
National Weather Service - White Lake Michigan office: http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dtx/
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MCRC Officers
President Don K8THU
Vice President Rick KE8BPZ
Secretary Denise Keeler KC8HDX
Treasurer Dale Poblenz WA8FRD
Custodian John Roberts N8KAM
Trustee(s) Jim Baksa KD8HFX for W8MRM
John Roberts N8KAM for W8GTZ
Parliamentarian Bill Loeber NU3D
Committee Chairs
V.E. Liaison ‘Woody’ Kirkman N8MWQ
Net Manager John Roberts N8KAM
Education Kimball Williams N8FNC
QSL Manager Jim Baksa KD8HFX
Webmaster Jim Baksa KD8HFX
Associate Webmaster ‘Woody’ Kirkman N8MWQ
Spark Gap Editor Mike Antio W8MRA
Renewing MCRC membership, on-line:
Open the MCRC website at: http://www.w8mrm.net/
Log into the site using your e-mail and password.
‘Click’ on the ‘Member Application’ button.
You will see the Notice: “You are already a member. Edit your
member profile”
Click on the ‘Edit your member profile’ and you will be taken to the
“My profile” page.
Notice the first section titled ‘Membership details’ with the
Renew to mm/dd/yyyy button in the lower right hand corner of that
first section.
Click on the Renew to mm/dd/yyyy button and you will be taken to
the ‘Membership renewal’ page.
If you need to renew, you may click on the ‘Update and next’ button
to go to the page where payment method may be chosen.
From there on, the system branches, depending on your chosen method of
payment. ( mm/dd/yyyy is the format for the date code in the website.)
February
Program to
feature
Raspberry Pi.
The Raspberry Pi is a very capable minicomputer that’s small enough
to fit in your pocket (even though you’d probably never keep it there).
For about $35-40, you get a case less computer with HDMI and
analog composite video output. You can add up to two USB devices
(which, in most cases, will be a mouse and keyboard) and connect it to
the internet via wired Ethernet. The Raspberry Pi is powerful and
inexpensive, allowing you to create a home media center, internet
radio, or even your own VPN server on the cheap.
At the February General Membership meeting, Jim KD8HFX will
show how to get a Raspberry Pi set up so you can start using it for a
variety of purposes.
Don't miss this great presentation. The February meeting is on Friday
February 9th, starting at 7pm.
Ronnie Milsap holds the callsign WB4KCG, Joe Walsh holds the callsign WB6ACU, and
Jim Croce was WN3OQW.
KB2GSD, Walter Cronkite obtained his amateur radio license after he retired from CBS
news, primarily to have another form of communication while on his sailboat.
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Coming Events
February 9th. General Membership meeting. 7pm. Topic: Raspberry Pi.
Copeland Center 2306 4th. St, Wyandotte. The Raspberry Pi is a tiny and affordable
computer that you can use to learn programming through fun, practical projects.
February 15th Board meeting. 7:30pm. Leo's Coney Island, 19230 Fort St., Riverview.
February 17th 9:00 Club Breakfast. Leo's Coney Island, 9845 Telegraph Road, Taylor, MI
March 9th. General Membership meeting. 7pm. Topic:
SKYWARN TRAINING provided by the National Weather Service Forecast Office Detroit/Pontiac. Copeland Center 2306 4th. St, Wyandotte.
March 13th Ham Radio Exam. 9am. First United Methodist Church, 72 Oak St,
Wyandotte.